October 23, 2015
Finding My Way Amidst Chaos
Highland Hospital is a level 1 trauma center serving 1.5 million people in Alameda County, CA. The Emergency Room sees about 90,000 patients a year, including 2,400 trauma events. Mae Petti worked in this Emergency Room every day for three months interviewing, counseling, and educating patients about Hepatitis C. She interviewed patients who were in the Emergency Room for various health reasons and administered a survey to gage their knowledge of Hepatitis C. If patients were not aware that they had Hepatitis C or were not connected to care Mae scheduled an appointment for them at the Hepatitis C clinic to insure that they would receive treatment. While working in this Emergency Room, Mae interacted with people from all walks of life and learned how to stay focused and calm in a chaotic environment. Most importantly, she came to realize how crucial effective provider-patient interaction is in health care delivery.
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